The Clintons have long kept hidden the identities of the donors to their foundation, and now we know why. The New York Times finally got a look at the books, and they discovered millions of dollars coming from people with a lot to lose during the Clinton administration. Shockingly, the pace of donations has accelerated as Hillary comes closer to winning the Democratic presidential nomination:

But an examination of the foundation demonstrates how its fund-raising has at times fostered the potential for conflict.

The New York Times has compiled the first comprehensive list of 97 donors who gave or pledged a total of $69 million for the Clinton presidential library in the final years of the Clinton administration. The examination found that while some $1 million contributors were longtime Clinton friends, others were seeking policy changes from the administration. Two pledged $1 million each while they or their companies were under investigation by the Justice Department.

Other donations came from supporters who had been ensnared in campaign finance scandals surrounding Mr. Clintons 1996 re-election campaign.

Before we get to the people who appeared to buy favor with the Clintons domestically, we should take a look at the Clinton foreign policy of donations. The foundation took money from the Saudi royal family, the king of Morocco, and the UAE, among others. Remember the fit that the potential sale of management rights for American ports to a Dubai company started? What will this UAE donation cause?

The real interesting part comes with domestic donors. Anheuser-Busch donated $200,000 to the foundation less than a month after winning a favorable ruling on advertising from the Clinton administrations FTC. Democratic fundraiser William Brandt tossed a million dollars onto the plate while being investigated by the Justice Department for potential perjury to Congress. Three months later, he was off the hook, and now is one of Hillarys bundlers. Bernard Schwartz, CEO of Loral, gave $250,000 while his company got investigated for improperly giving satellite technology to China. It took the Bush administration to conclude the case with a hefty fine against Loral.

Not everyone got what they wanted. Investors in Nextwave, a struggling telecom, gave six figures and pledged a million dollars while they tried to stave off government intervention for their licenses. When the government confiscated the licenses as part of a bankruptcy proceeding, the investors skipped paying the balance. Nextwave eventually won a lawsuit that returned the licenses.

The tawdriness of the Clintons will unfortunately get played out again for all to see. This time, it appears that the media will not go along so willingly with the Clintons in keeping these connections buried. Certainly, with the advent of the blogosphere, the peccadiloes and petty corruptions in which they engaged will no longer remain secret.

The tawdriness of the Clintons will unfortunately get played out again for all to see. .... Certainly, with the advent of the blogosphere, the peccadiloes and petty corruptions in which they engaged will no longer remain secret.

Yer Darn Tootin'!!!

And 'we' do our best work while in our PJs, Bunny Slippers and munching on Cheetos.

(okay, scratch the Bunny Slippers, that's too Rudy-esque)

28
posted on 12/20/2007 10:42:40 AM PST
by Condor51
(I wouldn't vote for Rooty under any circumstance -- even if Waterboarded!)

“Unless this info was the result of the FOIA, somebody is going after the Clintons at the knees.”

The MSM doesn’t want Hillary for Prez. Most of them want Barak Obama to win. PMSNBC as a whole is for Barak, via Chrissy Matthews who palpably dislikes Hillary, to Keith Olbermann, even Tucker Carlson and Joe Scarborough. None of them like Hillary and are saying nasty things about her every night. The MSM sees Hitlery and Bill as yesterday’s old news, and corrupt, and want the young, fresh, and professorial Barak Obama to win. They’d even take Edwards over Hillary. Poor Hillary, she is not lovable.

38
posted on 12/20/2007 11:36:48 PM PST
by flaglady47
(Thinking out loud while grinding teeth in political frustration)

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.